Bay County (MI) woman sues Starbucks over hot coffee

by Tom Gilchrist | The Bay City Times
Monday June 01, 2009, 10:00 AM

Bay City, Michigan - In 1994, a jury awarded a New Mexico woman $2.9 million after she was burned by spilled McDonald's coffee. Now a Bay County woman claims she's steamed at Starbucks for the same reason.

Irene Bruno alleges she endured severe burns and permanent scars three years ago when a worker at a Midland County Starbucks Coffee outlet improperly secured a lid on a large cup of coffee, causing the hot liquid to spill onto Bruno's lap, inner thighs and legs.

Bruno, in a lawsuit filed in May in U.S. District Court, claims the lid on the coffee cup came off as she tried to sip the coffee just after buying the beverage at a Starbucks drive-thru window at 7201 Eastman, on Dec. 9, 2006.

Bruno seeks a minimum of $75,000 in damages in her lawsuit, alleging she has suffered "extreme humiliation and embarrassment" due to the scars visible on her body because of the coffee spill.

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